1000 Forms of Fear
by Cress070
Summary: Songfiction to 1000 Forms of Fear by Sia. The whole album. This is a collaboration! Yes! A COLLABORATION! Featuring alder3049 and Cress070! Every song on this album will be done! Every song! Be excited! Or we might kill a character!
1. Introductions

Heloo freends! This is Cress070, and alder3049 and I are doing... A SONGFIC COLLABORATION! BUT NOT JUST ANY SONGFIC COLLABORATION! ONE WHERE WE DO A WHOLE ALBUM! See below for explanation. I sound very official.

This is how our songfic collaboration will hopefully work: Alder and I have each chosen 6 songs from the album 1000 Forms of Fear by Sia (I suggest listening to the album before reading these.) Over the next while, we'll each write a song on BOTH profiles, so it doesn't matter whose version you're seeing. And...that's pretty much it. There will be stories about everyone.

Cress: Chandelier: Biana is struggling with life in the gold tower. Keefe has left her, and now she's done something that will bring shame to the morning light.

Cress: Big Girls Cry: Biana has experienced something, and now she's all alone. Tears in her eyes, Biana confronts the person who ruined her life and her loves.

Alder: Burn the Pages: Tam always cuts himself off from the rest of his friends. He always has. And only Linh knows why.

Cress: Eye of the Needle: Sophie and Fitz. Cognates, always. Through everything, they can go together. But Sophie has always had one secret that she can't bear to share. Just one secret.

Alder: Hostage: Keefe has always just assumed that deep down, his parents loved him. Assumed, hoped, dreamed. He's never really known. But now...if he comes back, will they really love him? Or will he just be held hostage?

Alder: Straight For The Knife: Brant has always scared Jolie just a little bit. And on May 19th...when she unveils a secret, he doesn't take it as a blessing, but as a curse.

Alder: Fair Game: I'm not quite sure how this is going to go yet. I do know that it'll be in the future and Sophitz. If you've heard the song and have ideas, please comment them.

Cress: Elastic Heart: Sophie Foster has always been thought of brave, Facing the Neverseen, losing her parents and making a whole new life for herself, she's never been someone weak. Sometimes she wants to be, though. She wants to be someone who can just run and hide.

Alder: Free the Animal: Mr and Mrs Song were perfectly respectable up until that night. That night, where, in the misty chill of midnight, mistakes were made and secrets were shared. And Tam and Linh...Tam and Linh are just part of the aftershock. Rubble from the past that needs to be cleared away.

Cress: Fire Meet Gasoline: Kenric and Oralie, council members, true love. Forbidden love. Sometimes, love is dangerous, and they know. That doesn't ever stop them, until one fateful night.

Cress: Cellophane: When Fitz shut himself off from Sophie, he banished a possibility. She never knew this, but he did. If he could have been a better elf then, things would have been different.

Alder: Dressed in Black: Keefe has finally come back from the Neverseen, amid war, chaos, and switching sides. Sophie's the only one he's ever trusted. Ever loved. Ever opened up to. But he can't say anything now, can he? Because those things he's seen...they can't be shared. Not without pain.

The first songfic (Chandelier) will be posted tomorrow evening.

Have a nice life!

Xoxo,

Cress & Alder


	2. Chandelier

**(Cress070)**

 _Chandelier_

 _track one_

 _Sia_

 _1000 Forms of Fear_

 _Party girls don't get hurt_

 _Can't feel anything, when will I learn_

 _I push it down, push it down_

The crowds pushed and pulled, moving in a tide of sweaty bodies. Biana had snuck into the party in the silver tower, looking for some fun, some respite from Keefe. Or, the absence of Keefe. She needed to get lost, lost in the noise and the music and the suffocating crowds.

She shoved through the seething throngs of people, pushing towards the table with the drinks. The table was full of small shot glasses, and Biana sniffed one. It was strong. Very strong. She tossed it back, relishing the burning feeling in her throat and the lift in the weight of her depression. She tossed back another. Even lighter.

 _1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 drink_

 _1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 drink_

 _1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 drink_

 _Throw em back, till I lose count_

Biana glanced over the table, to where a group of boys were all yelling "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" as a poor, unsuspecting boy downed glass after glass of beer. They smirked and high-fived as he stumbled away, reeling from the alcohol. They glanced her way. In no time, they had her surrounded.

"Hey." Biana said throatily, trying to subdue their rough humors. It didn't work. They pressed a bottle of beer into her palm, and began chanting.

 _Ah, well._ Biana thought. _May as well._

She opened her mouth, and began pouring the beer in.

The boy's mouths dropped open as she kept pouring. And pouring. And pouring. She downed the whole glass with no problem.

"The chick's got moves!" one boy, their ringleader, yelled over the music. "What else does she do?" he eyed the plunging neckline of her shirt.

BIana glanced upwards, and then her gaze alighted on the chandelier, swinging, iron and ornate, above their heads.

 _I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier_

 _I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist_

 _Like it doesn't exist_

 _I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry_

 _I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier_

 _And I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes_

 _Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _Help me, I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes_

 _Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _On for tonight_

She jumped. Catching hold of an iron hook, presumably for a candle, she waved to the crowds. They screamed in victory, and somebody turned up the music.

Biana was above the crowds, flying free, free, free in the night.

She was so elated, she almost didn't notice as she fell, and the boy from before caught her, as he pulled her upstairs.

She almost didn't mind.

 _Sun is up, I'm a mess_

 _Gotta get out now, gotta run from this_

 _Here comes the shame, here comes the shame_

Whump. Whump. Whump. Biana clutched her head, all of the pain she had subdued last night crashing back into her brain.

Last night.

Biana was lying in a bed, and all she was wearing was her underwear. She scanned the room with her eyes, finally spotting her dress from last night crumpled in a corner.

Last night.

She pulled it on hurriedly, feeling so, so, tired. And so, so, ashamed. Biana walked out of the room she was in, and down the stairs to the common room. There were plastic cups everywhere, and stains on all the sofas. And the chandelier, she could see, if she looked very, very closely, was still swinging. Just a bit.

 _I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier_

 _I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist_

 _Like it doesn't exist_

 _I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night, feel my tears as they dry_

 _I'm gonna swing from the chandelier, from the chandelier_

 _And I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes_

 _Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _Help me, I'm holding on for dear life, won't look down won't open my eyes_

 _Keep my glass full until morning light, 'cause I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _On for tonight, on for tonight_

 _As I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _No I'm I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _On for tonight, on for tonight_

 _As I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _No I'm I'm just holding on for tonight_

 _On for tonight, on for tonight_


	3. Big Girls Cry

**(Cress070)**

 _Big Girls Cry_

 _Track two_

 _Sia_

 _1000 Forms of Fear_

 _Tough girl in the fast lane_

 _No time for love, no time for hate_

 _No drama, no time for games_

 _Tough girl whose soul aches_

 _I'm at home, on my own_

 _Check my phone, nothing, though_

 _Act busy, order in_

 _Pay TV, it's agony_

"No! I don't even want to hear your fabulous excuses, Keefe!" Biana had yelled, before slamming the door and stalking away dramatically. Keefe had opened it back up again, and yelled after her; "I thought you were more understanding then this, Biana! I thought our relationship was strong enough to get through something like this! It's a misunderstanding, that's all!"

"Yeah!" Biana had replied, in tears. "A misunderstanding where my boyfriend of a year is cheating on me!"

She had light-leaped away before he could get anything else out, and was now standing alone in her room. She flopped backwards onto her bed, limp as a rag doll, and began to cry. Her makeup ran, and her hair was mussed, but she didn't care. Her heart was breaking. Eventually, Biana shut down and fell into an uneasy, dream-full sleep.

 _I may cry ruinin' my makeup_

 _Wash away all the things you've taken_

 _And I don't care if I don't look pretty_

 _Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking_

 _Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking_

 _Big girls cry when their heart is breaking_

 _Tough girl, I'm in pain_

 _It's lonely at the top, black outs and airplanes_

 _And I still pour you a glass, of champagne_

 _Tough girl whose soul aches_

"Keefe?" Biana knocked on the door of his luxurious suite in Candleshade. She pressed her ear on the door, but it must have been soundproofed, because she couldn't hear a thing. Not a peep. Keefe's parents, however, had assured her that he was in there, and Biana was worried about him. He had been acting very distant lately, and he kept making excuses about why she hardly ever saw him anymore.

"Sorry, Bee, I'm prepping for midterms."

"Maybe later, Bee, I've got a dinner party that I have to go to with my parents."

So she pushed open the door. And immediately regretted it. Because there, as promised, was Keefe. And there, unexpected, was a girl. She was very pretty, with long red hair, perfectly tanned skin (that she was showing a lot of) and the smallest waist that Biana had ever seen. Not to mention that she was wrapped in a passionate embrace around the body of Biana's boyfriend, Keefe Sencen.

"What?!" Biana shrieked, and the girl turned around. Her hands grew into long, sharp claws, and she dug them into Keefe's skin as she hissed; "He's mine now." Then, suddenly and without warning, she tore her talons across Keefe's vulnerable throat. His body went limp, and Biana awoke, screaming, as the girl lunged for her.

 _I may cry ruinin' my makeup_

 _Wash away all the things you've taken_

 _And I don't care if I don't look pretty_

 _Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking_

 _Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking_

 _Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking_

 _I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up,_

 _I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up, I wake up,_

 _I wake up, I wake up, I wake up,_

 _I love_

 _I may cry ruinin' my makeup_

 _Wash away all the things you've taken_

Breathing hard, Biana heard footsteps outside.

"You okay, Biana?" Fitz asked through her door, and Biana verified that, yes, she was not dying and did not need comforting.

She got out of bed, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to see Keefe as she pulled on a simple tunic and leggings. She dashed to the Leapmaster, and gave it instructions to Candleshade. Biana stepped into the light.

She appeared on the extraordinarily well-manicured lawn of candleshade, and she hastily scanned her registry pendant before dashing through the marble halls and crystal staircases of Keefe's house. She barged into his private suite, and found him lying on his bed, staring at a photograph.

"Biana?" he started when he saw her.

"Save it, Keefe." she snapped. "Tell me exactly what happened with that girl I found you snogging."

He got nervous, fast. "Well, I was helping her study, because she's in linguistics, and was having trouble with her mimicking, and then she kissed me, not the other way around, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it, because she was a good kisser, and then you walked in and I realized that you are and will always be the only girl for me- please forgive me!" he said desperately.

She sighed, and walked over to sit on his bed. That was when she saw the picture of her that he had been staring at. That was when she decided that he could have another chance.

"Okay." she said, and pecked him on the cheek.

He smiled, and wiped a tear off her cheek.

 _I may cry ruinin' my makeup_

 _Wash away all the things you've taken_

 _And I don't care if I don't look pretty_

 _Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking_

 _Big girls cry when their hearts are breaking_

 _Big girls cry when their heart is breaking_

"Just give me some time, and I'll see you again. Okay?" Biana asked, and Keefe nodded. As she left the room, she could still see him looking at her photo.


	4. Burn the Pages

Chapter 4: Burn the Pages

 **(Alder3049)**

 _Burn the Pages_

 _Track three_

 _Sia_

 _1000 Forms of Fear_

 _You're dark gray like a storm cloud_

 _Swelling up with rage that is_

 _Desperate to be let out_

 _And I know it's a heavy load_

 _Carrying those tears around_

 _Carrying those fears around, worry_

 _Makes the world go round_

Tam turned his back, shoulders hunched, shaking off Linh's small, pale hand. "Tam, please—" If he turned around, he would see her silvery-blue eyes, full of worry, the leather choker that she still wore, registry-pendant-less, the metal tips of her hair that cliked lightly together every time she moved, and he would break down. "No." He could hear her sigh, and tried to blink away the traitorous tears that had started filling his eyes. Linh moved away, boots crunching the fallen leaves of her campground.

 _You're twisted up like a slipknot_

 _Tied by a juicehead who just took_

 _His t-shot, and I know_

 _There's a hungry dog tugging at_

 _Your frayed ends_

 _But he's just playing with you, he_

 _Just wants to be your friend_

He wasn't ready—didn't want anyone to learn what he'd known all along, the pieces his parents had told him, the pieces that had been picked up along the way. He tugged his fingers through his bangs, brushing them off his face, giving over and letting a few tears spill down his cheeks.

 _So don't worry, don't worry, I'm here_

 _By your side_

 _By your side, by your side_

 _We're letting go tonight!_

He felt Linh's shadows before her hand descending over his. She rested her head on his shoulder. "What is it? Tell me the truth this time, Tam." He breathed deeply out through his nose. "Mom—mom and dad told me—" His voice cracked, and he stopped short, swallowing thickly. "They told me—"

"They told you that, in the end, you wouldn't be able to save me." Linh finished matter-of-factly, shifting so she was sitting in front of him and wiping his tears away with her thumb. "I know, Tam. I know." "But, what if—" She stopped him. "They never knew everything about me. I can protect myself. You don't have to worry about me, Tam. I'm stronger than that." He buried his head in his knees. She squeezed his shoulders, then left. He could hear soft music echoing through the forest their camp was set up in. Linh pulled him to his feet, and he looked up.

 _Yesterday is gone and you will be okay_

 _Place your past in a book, burn the pages,_

 _Let 'em cook, oh_

 _Yesterday is dead and gone and so today_

 _Place your past in a book, burn the pages,_

 _Let 'em cook_

The small clearing was filled with tiny candles, flickering in the warm early-autumn night. Music, coming from seemingly nowhere, plinked away at a tune, and Linh grasped his hands in hers.

"Let's dance, big brother."

It was a name from their past—from when they'd pretended that Tam was older—and it caused a fresh wave of tears. Linh hugged him tight, then caught his hands again, spinning slowly around the campground.

 _Eyes stinging from the black_

 _Smoke, new hope_

 _Loose rope, risen from the_

 _Undertow_

 _All is well_

 _We welcome the cry, of the dark_

 _Night sky_

 _Swallow me peacefully, follow my heart back inside_

Linh hummed the tune softly, watching his face for any change of expression. She was smiling. Tam felt lighter, alive, with reason for the first time in months. He'd always thought of Linh as a delicate songbird, almost blowing away with the wind on every new note. But she was a phoenix, rising dutifully from the ashes, settling her past. Like he needed to.

 _So don't worry, don't worry, I'm here_

 _By your side_

 _By your side, by your side_

 _We're letting go tonight!_

He laughed as the music picked up speed, twirling her faster at it reached a crescendo. Why had he denied himself the happiness of just being with his sister for so long? Why hadn't he gotten rid of the huge, smothering waves of pain on his chest before? Because he couldn't have done it alone. Linh had to show him. He felt like he was eight years old again, carefree. This was how it was supposed to be. Laughing, his kissed his sister's forehead in thanks as the music slowed down.

 _Yesterday is gone and it will be OK_

 _Place your past in to a book and burn the pages,_

 _Let 'em cook oh_

 _Yesterday is dead and gone and so today_

 _Place your past in to a book and burn the pages,_

 _Let 'em cook._


	5. Eye of the Needle

**(Cress070)**

Eye of the Needle

Track four

Sia

1000 Forms of Fear

 _Take me down_

 _I'm feeling now_

 _And if I move on_

 _I admit you're gone_

 _I ain't ready_

 _I'll hold steady_

 _I'll hold you in my arms_

 _You're locked inside my heart_

 _Your melody's an art_

 _I won't let the terror in, I'm stealing time_

 _Through the eye of the needle_

"Okay. So." Fitz said, his brilliant teal eyes sparkling adorable with excitement. "You next."

Sophie smiled. "Okay."

They were in the midst of one of their best Cognate training sessions yet. Fitz had gotten into Sophie's mind easily, and together they had broken down Squall's telepathic defenses. They had just begun wrapping up with a few trust exercises, and finding it very entertaining.

"Ella or Mr. Snuggles?" Fitz asked, leaning forwards to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Um… wow. I'm going to say Mr. Snuggles." Sophie said. He was, after all, very sparkly. And sparkly made everything awesome, except alicorn poop.

"You next…" Sophie said. 'What is one question that you've always wanted to know the answer to?"

"What your secret is." he replied.

"Ah." Sophie said. "Well…"

At that very moment, Tiergan, or Granite, walked in, preventing any emotional baggage from being unloaded. It was, however, strange. He usually refrained from interrupting the telepathy sessions that they held in a small room in Alluveterre, the Black Swan's base.

"Is something wrong?" Sophie asked him, glad that he had stopped her from telling Fitz she was in love with him.

Tiergan sighed as he told them; "We've apprehended a Neverseen fugitive. Mr. Forkle has asked that you two come down and probe his mind. Are you up for that?"

They nodded. "Yes."

"Follow me, then, Tiergan said. They walked down, around, and sometimes under the many twisting branches and rooms of Alluveterre, until it seemed as they were moving through the mighty tree's very roots. Tiergan popped a trap door on the floor open, and they descended into darkness.

 _Step and repeat_

 _Tears fall to the beat_

 _Smile through pain_

 _Feel the acid rain_

 _I ain't ready_

 _I'll hold steady_

 _I'll hold you in my arms, in my arms, in my arms_

 _You're locked inside my heart_

 _Your melody's an art_

 _I won't let the terror in, I'm stealing time_

 _Through the eye of the needle_

"Where are we?" Sophie asked when the long ladder ended and she could feel the ground safety under her feet again. Her surroundings were all very sterile, but slightly too bright for the eyes.

"The dungeon." Tiergan replied. "The prisoner is through this door."

They opened it, and emerged into a cell with a man crumpled on the floor and Mr. Forkle standing in a corner.

"Ah. You're here," he said, looking up from the man.

"Who is it?" Sophie asked him.  
"His name is Hather, he was trying to get back the cache, and that's all we know." Mr. Forkle said. "We questioned him, and that's all the information we could get before he turned violent."

Sophie nodded, studying the prisoner crumpled on the floor. He had brown hair with blond streaks through it, and a speckling of light freckles over him healthily tanned skin. If she had seen him on the streets she might have thought him handsome, but here all she saw was an enemy. The enemy.

"Should we start?" Fitz asked, and Mr. Forkle nodded.

Together, they touched their fingers to his temples and were in his mind. It was dark, dark and lonely, but soon Sophie could feel Fitz's energy beside her, and perfectly synchronised, in a way only Cognates could, they began to break down his defenses until his raw thoughts were revealed. His raw, horrible thoughts.

 _My bags heavy_

 _Been filled by me_

 _They weigh me down_

 _Carry them round_

 _It's all mine all mine_

 _I am blinded by the eye of the needle_

 _You're locked inside my heart_

 _Your melody's an art_

 _I won't let the terror in, I'm stealing time_

 _Through the eye of the needle_

Visions of her, Sophie, lying dead and covered on blood. Of him taking over the Neverseen, the Lost Cities, and then the entire world. But it started with her death. That was what he was here to do and what he was going to do right now-

In one fluid motion, Fitz broke their connection with Hather, sending her straight back to reality, and threw her behind him. That was why Hather's slim fingers found his throat, not hers.

Fitz's head was slammed down onto the hard stone floor, and she could see he wasn't unconscious, and was fighting with all his might. But their prisoner, in his frenzy for blood, power, had not stopped. He slammed Fitz's head down on the floor again, and as Sophie stood there, paralyzed by fear, blood began to flow. He did it again, again, again, and someone was screaming but she didn't know who and that she realized it was her and it was too much all too much and she was not Sophie anymore didn't want to be she was a girl of dust and blood and lost loves and then-

She snapped to her senses, and screaming in rage, inflicted all of the emotion that she had built up over two long, stressful years on him, all of it, and Hather was thrown back into the wall. Sophie crouched down next to Fitz, cradling his head in her arms.

"Fitz? Please, talk to me."

He opened his eyes, and Sophie could tell that even that one movement was hard for him.

"Sophie…"

"Fitz. I'm here. You're going to be fine, I promise. I'll do something, anything, oh, Fitz." A tear dropped onto him, and another, and another.

"No. Sophie, I'm going to die. Just- what was your secret?"

"Oh, Fitz." she was crying now, not wanting to let him go. Ever. "I love you. That was it all along. Fitz, I'm in love with you."

He smiled, and nodded weakly.

"I love you too." and then he was gone.

Sophie clutched his poor, cold, broken body, and didn't let go.

She wasn't ready.

 _You're locked inside my heart_

 _Your melody's an art_

 _I won't let the terror in, I'm stealing time_

 _Through the eye of the needle_

 _You're locked inside my heart_

 _Your melody's an art_

 _I won't let the terror in, I'm stealing time_

 _Through the eye of the needle_


	6. Hostage

**(Alder3049)**

 _Hostage_

 _Track five_

 _Sia_

 _1000 Forms of Fear_

 _You bring me to life, then you shut me out_

 _You keep me silent when I should shout_

 _You make me cry, and you make me come_

 _You are the cop and I'm on the run_

Keefe shivered. It was dark and cold, and all he wanted was to be back home in his bed, forgetting who his family was for nine hours.

"Keefe."

He didn't want to turn around, didn't want to face them, but his eight-year-old loyalty to his parents made him swivel in a one-eighty. Cassius and Gisella were standing hand in hand, silhouetted by the low harvest moon that hung as if suspended from the heavens. "Why are you here?" Gisella's carefully prepared smile crumbled. "Keefe, baby--" she untangled her hand from her husband's, stepping forward. Keefe turned away, kicking up a flurry of gravel. "You told me you didn't care!" He yelled into the night angrily, picking up a rock and chucking it at the sky. "You told me I was worthless!" He shouldered the backpack lying next to him, preparing to run into the nearby woods bordering their clearing. "I wish you weren't my parents!"

 _It all began with just one kiss_

 _I'm held hostage by your love_

 _Put me in cuffs, lock me up_

 _I'm held hostage by your touch_

 _This prison is rough but I can't get enough_

 _The secret life of us keeps me in handcuffs_

 _Don't lock me up, don't you wanna free us_

 _I'm held hostage by your love_

"Can't I come over? Just for a little bit?"

Keefe tugged at his Level One Gremlin pin, feeling like the hallway had just gotten ten degrees hotter. Fitz was his only friend, and he didn't want to lose him. "I...don't bring friends home." Fitz, a head taller, stood before him. "Are you sure? Because I'd like to meet your parents. I mean...you've met my mom and dad." He was right, Keefe had; but Alden and Della and Fitz didn't have such an unstable relationship that bringing a friend home would sentence him to a month of being grounded. Keefe had spent as much time as he could over at the Vackers', leaving it later and later before he had to return to his cold metal home and his equally cold parents. He fingered the hole where a family crest was supposed to go, wishing he was a Vacker so he could wear the diamond wings instead of an embarrassingly blank hole. "Um..." he could feel his defences falling: Fitz was just too nice. "I guess. But only for a little bit, because my parents--I mean, I have a lot of homework." He turned, beginning the long walk across campus to the Leapmaster. Fitz jogged to keep up. "Uh...where are you going?" Keefe blushed bright red.

"My parents say I don't deserve a home crystal."

 _Then you let me out and I catch the sun_

 _You give me a taste of you and no one_

 _But you always leave and again I'm alone_

 _The secret burns but I'm imprisoned_

"Keefe?"

Keefe looked up from the homework he was doing in one of Candleshade's various libraries. "Yes?" Cassius was in the doorway.

"I have something for you."

Keefe followed his dad through the halls of Candleshade, up the Voltinator, stopping on the hundred-and-seventy-second floor. "Wait here." Keefe had anticipated it; they were outside his father's office, and he never let anyone inside his private rooms. Cassius unlocked the door, slipped in, and reemerged a few moments later, holding a gray cape and a silver box. He waited for Keefe to throw the cape over his shoulders before speaking. "Your mother and I have decided..." he sighed, as if he hadn't agreed with the decision. "Your mother and I have decided that it's time you had your own crest pin." He flipped open the box, exposing a silver pin. Keefe gasped. He was almost as excited as he had been last spring, when he had gotten the family crest on his uniform, after being the only fourth-year without one. Cassius pried it out of its box and handed it to his son. "Don't lose it, because it's the only one you're getting." Keefe was sure his grin was splitting his face in half. After so many years with the Vackers, with hugs and touches and praise and soft words, he stepped foreword to hug his dad, then backed up, blushing. "Uh...thanks, dad."

 _It all began with just one kiss_

 _I'm held hostage by your love_

 _Put me in cuffs, lock me up_

 _I'm held hostage by your touch_

 _This prison is rough but I can't get enough_

 _The secret life of us keeps me in handcuffs_

 _Don't lock me up, don't you wanna free us_

 _I'm held hostage by your love_

Sophie gripped his hand as he ran, which Keefe was thankful for. Where his cape was hidden... He'd wanted to say what he really would say to his dad, in different family circumstances, but he'd had enough. Enough of the pitiful looks, the comments, the whispers. So he sent his message up in to the night sky, hoping it would get to him somehow.

Dad.

I just wanted to say that all this time, through all the things you did, I still love you. I love your laugh, when you make mom smile, when you're proud of me. And I know you're going to be worried, but I need to do this for me. But I also need to know... do you still love me?

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts, and gripped Sophie's hand tighter. They were finally going to join the Black Swan. To stop the Neverseen. Once and for all.

 _Secret life of lovers who have others_

 _Under the covers_

 _And while you break my heart_

 _I'm a criminal in these parts_

"No, dad! Dad, it's me! Keefe! Keefe Sencen, your son!"

Cassius glanced at the bedraggled, too-skinny, grungy boy, then back at the ground. "If you're my boy, then why would you do this?"

"Join the Neverseen? Because I needed to, dad. It's not how you deal with pain. It's what I needed. Can't you see? I'm not part of them!"

Cassius looked him up and down, still clad in his Neverseen getup. "You're no son of mine." He turned, closing the door on his son's crestfallen face.

And for a second, Keefe gave over to tears.

 _It all began with just one kiss_

 _I'm held hostage by your love_

 _Put me in cuffs, lock me up_

 _I'm held hostage by your touch_

 _This prison is rough but I can't get enough_

 _The secret life of us keeps me in handcuffs_

 _Don't lock me up, don't you wanna free us_

 _I'm held hostage by your love_


	7. Straight for the Knife

**(Alder3049)**

 _Straight for the Knife_

 _track 6_

 _Sia_

 _1000 Forms of Fear_

 _Put on my best dress, wanted to impress_

 _I put a little make-up on_

 _Put a bow in my hair, wore pretty underwear_

 _Hoping you might take it off_

 _Don't know your etiquette but_

 _I'm strapped to my chair, and it ain't_

 _Cause you're pretty_

 _You were charming, until_

 _You saw your chance to kill, your_

 _Chance to make history_

Jolie stood in front of the full length mirror, spinning once, twice, letting the full skirt of her cinched dress billow out at her knees and her blonde hair flutter, golden in the sun. The first sweltering day of a summer to follow was upon them, and she fanned her face so her makeup wouldn't run, examining the last details in the reflective glass. She wasn't kidding anyone. The sudden paling of her skin, the dullness of her eyes from days straight of throwing up, details that Brant would notice immediately. The limp curls her hair lay in, the sunken eyes, the plain dress that concealed everything from her neck to her knees rather than the revealing ones she usually wore. But there was nothing she could do. She gave one final glance, hugging her arms to her chest, and grabbed her purse, straightening her collar.

She was stopped by Grady on the way down the stairs. "I'm--going to see Brant." He pecked her cheek, and she resisted the urge to tell him all the secrets--everything she had been hiding for the past two weeks. "Ok, hon. Your mom and I will be out in Mysterium, so come to Kesler's store if you need us." She nodded quickly. "Bye, dad." He smiled, making the corners of his eyes crinkle, and she continued on to the Leapmaster.

 _You went straight for the knife, and I_

 _Prepared to die_

 _Your blade it shines_

 _Looked me straight in the eye, you_

 _Turned the gas on high_

 _Held the flame alight, you wonder why_

 _I'm scared of fire_

 _You wonder why you make girls cry_

She glittered back in to focus on front of a tall, nameless house that stood on bluffs over the ocean. Brant's parents had always been very secretive, and their house reflected it in every way. She clutched her stomach, willing herself not to throw up, then straightened and walked the sharp stone path to his front door.

No one answered when she knocked, so she continued up the carpeted stairs to the wide, dark hallway lined with bedrooms. Brant's was at the far end, and she gulped before she knocked, hoping she looked normal and going over what she would say in her head. Then she rapped once, twice, upon the dark wood.

"Come in, mom." The voice was bored, relaxed, and she entered quietly, closing the ebony door behind her with a snap. Brant was sitting at a desk that faced the wide windows over the ocean, spinning a silver Foxfire pencil between his fingers. He jumped up when he saw her face instead of his mother's. "Um, Jolie, hi!" He said with fake enthusiasm, standing up and hugging her. "Why are you here?" She blanched. "Why am I here? Um, well, I've got something to tell you. Actually, a few things, so I um..." she trailed off, not knowing how to start. He grinned, running a hand through his dark hair. His sleeve fell back, exposing the Neverseen scar that she wasn't supposed to know the meaning of. She sighed miserably. "I guess the first is..." she pulled her sleeve back. It was more raised against her skin, red around the outside, newer, but it was there: the eye carved in to the arm of every Neverseen member she'd met.

 _My mascara a mess, harsh words for your princess_

 _Boy, you and your promises_

 _If your goal was to love, you scored_

 _An epic miss_

 _Now you'll just have memories_

Brant's eyes widened, pupils dilating, but he composed himself fast, regaining his cool. "Really? Why didn't I know?" She grimaced with a new wave of nausea. "Because...you weren't supposed to know?" He laughed. "Why not?" Her voice lowered to a whisper, and she worded her sentences strategically. She didn't know how attached to the Neverseen Brant was, how high up he was. Maybe they were everything to him but he kept his private life private, like Fintan, herself, countless others. "Brant... the Neverseen aren't everything. They don't know all the answers." His grin twisted sourly, like he had been sucking on lemons. "What do you mean?"

"There are better people out there."

"Like who?"

She unbuttoned her left sleeve, preparing her second secret.

The Black Swan weren't as gory. They hadn't branded her or carved in to her skin, but they had left their mark on her all the same.

The tattoo of an inked dark swan, fresh against her pale skin.

 _You went straight for the knife, and I_

 _Prepared to die_

 _Your blade it shines_

 _Looked me straight in the eye, you_

 _Turned the gas on high_

 _Held the flame alight, you wonder why_

 _I'm scared of fire_

 _You wonder why you make girls cry_

This one, he was much more stricken. "You...what? How could you do this, Jolie?"

She hung her head in mock shame, whispering between her teeth. "They're good people, Brant. They want to help. Neverseen are the ones attacking them. Not the other way around." His eyes burned with angry fire, tainting their sapphire irises. "How could you?" She gulped, her eyes filling with tears. "They're not bad people. You're the enemy. The Neverseen are hurting you, Brant. Hurting you here." She tapped her heart once, lightly, but the darkness in his eyes didn't fade. "You'll tell me any other secrets," he spat, pacing around her, "and then you'll leave."

 _Boy, you draw me back in_

 _I'm hungry for your bad loving_

 _But will someone find me swinging from the rafters_

 _From hanging on your every word_

"Yes," she whispered, just wanting his pacing to stop. "One more secret." His palm was slowly filling with yellow-orange flames, and she edged away from them, tears clouding her vision. "Well, spit it out." She gulped, then forced it out, her secret, the thing that had turned her inside herself for the past weeks.

"I'm pregnant."

It was as if time stopped: his face went slack, she gripped her shoulders, and tears slowly rolled down her cheeks until she cupped her face in her palms. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

His face was still empty of emotion. "You'd only be sorry if..." she looked up at him through her fingers, nodding once. "You're not the father." He stalked toward her, features twisting into an ugly scowl. She glanced up at him once again, then screamed.

"Brant!"

He spun. Flames were licking up the curtains behind them, and now the ceiling. The room would be engulfed in a matter of seconds. "Jolie, no..."

Her skirt had caught fire, and all she could see was him in a room filled with smoke, the fire calling to him. They would never both make it out. At least someone knew all her secrets. She backed away from him, toward his burning desk, the heat searing her back.

"I love you..."

 _You went straight for the knife, and I_

 _Prepared to die_

 _Your blade it shines_

 _Looked me straight in the eye, you_

 _Turned the gas on high_

 _Held the flame alight, you wonder why_

 _I'm scared of fire_

 _You wonder why you make girls cry_


	8. Fair Game

**(Alder3049)**

 _Fair Game_

 _track seven_

 _Sia_

 _1000 Forms of Fear_

 _You terrify me, 'cause you're a man, you're not a boy  
You got some power, and I can't treat you like a toy  
You're the road less travelled by a little girl  
You disregard the mess while I try to control the world_

"Sophie Foster! To Fintan's office, now!"

Sophie looked up, regarding the com system with interest. It still baffled her how the Neverseen could have a com and yet no electricity, a topic much discussed by her and her best friend, Keefe.

"I guess I'll go."  
He was thrown into a chair in the empty mess hall, long legs stretched in front of him, crossed at the ankles. She'd known Keefe for as long as she could remember, ever since she'd been introduced to the Neverseen. He grinned. "You sure? He gets pretty mad when you don't come, and that's always funny."  
"Not to me. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She rose and sauntered toward the door, grinning. Her and Keefe had been in the Neverseen longer than anyone, save for Fintan, and, of course, her father. Brant.

Fintan's door was to the left of the mess hall, and it opened as she approached, as if he'd known exactly where she was. "Sophie Foster. Come in."

The underground room was exactly as she remembered it: filing cabinets, long mahogany desk, scattered books and papers.

And a dark-haired boy standing in the middle of the mess. __

_Don't leave me, stay here and frighten me  
Don't leave me, come now enlighten me  
Give me all you got, give me your wallet and your watch  
Give me your first-born, give me the rainbow and the..._

Fitz wasn't normal, by any standards. He didn't say how he got to the Neverseen, or anything about his life before. There was a darkness in his teal eyes, a deep flash that she saw when his guard wasn't completely up. He joked with her and Keefe, trained, went on his first mission without complaint. He was quiet and hardworking, and Brant and Fintan had no reason not to trust him.

And yet.

Sophie found that the longer he stayed, the more introverted he became, showing up just for mandatory training and most meals.

Until he stopped her one day, outside his room. __

 _So, go and challenge me, take the reins and see  
Watch me squirm, baby, but you are just what I need_

 _And I've never played a fair game  
I've always had the upper hand  
But what good is intellect and airplay  
If I can't respect any man?  
Yeah, I want to play a fair game  
Yeah, I want to play a fair game_

"Sophie. We've been looking for you."

"What?"

"The Black Swan. A different group, just like this one, but good."  
She laughed. "Um, don't know if you've noticed, but _we're_ the good guys."

He smiled cockily. "But do you even know what the rest of the world is like? Who's good, who's bad, who needs love?"

A blush crept into her cheeks. "I guess…but the Neverseen knows. They know the world."

"Do they really?" He was still grinning. It was dazzling.

"How can I trust you?"  
He pulled her closer, only a breath away.

 _You terrify me, we've still not kissed, and yet I've cried  
You got too close, and I pushed and pushed hoping you'd bite  
So, I could run, run and that I did but through the dust  
You saw those teeth marks, they weren't all yours  
You had been thrust into a history, that had not worked for me  
Into a history, from which I could not flee  
So, go on shake me, shake until I give it up  
Wearing me down, baby, I know that we could make some love_

Fitz was _scary._ His unyielding trust in this other group was complete, and he started pulling away from his Neverseen lessons. Keefe had noticed, too, the amount of time Sophie was spending with Fitz. She'd never been wanted for something just as she was. The Neverseen had taught her to become someone that changed their act in a second, who had to be different, to be better, to be trusted and wanted.

"Fitz, will this really work?"

He was collecting items they would need for their next mission, their escape. He nodded, intent on his task. "Of course it will."  
"But what about Keefe?"  
"What about him?"

"He's my best friend. I don't just want to leave him here."

Fitz stood abruptly. He was close, Sophie realized, as close as he had been when he'd asked her to join him. "You don't need Keefe. You have me now."

And then he was kissing her. It was hot and fast and her vision was a swirl of colours, his hands gripping her waist and hers on his shoulders. There was a wild beauty to it, but it was also tainted, bitter with the words he'd just said. She broke off abruptly, panting. He was grinning, teal eyes with a bright sheen. _  
_"Sophie—"

"You can't leave Keefe."

 _So, go and challenge me, take the reins and see  
Watch me squirm, baby, but you are just what I need_

 _And I've never played a fair game  
I've always had the upper hand  
But what good is intellect and airplay  
If I can't respect any man?  
Yeah, I want to play a fair game  
Yeah, I want to play a fair game_

 __"No. No, I'm not leaving without him."

"You have to! We have to do this alone."

I thought you were great, Fitz. I thought you were this great person that I needed to respect, that wanted me, that knew who I was. But I was wrong. The Black Swan might be good, and one day, I might go and join them, but you don't do anything for them. You're sick, and twisted, and you can't be in my life anymore."

And with that, she picked up a dagger from the ground, and, closing her eyes against tears, drove it into his heart.

 _Oh, I've never played a fair game  
I've always had the upper hand  
But what good is intellect and airplay  
If I can't respect any man?  
I want to play a fair game  
I want to play a fair game _


	9. Elastic Heart

**(Cress070)**

 _Elastic Heart_

 _Sia_

 _Track eight_

 _1000 Forms of Fear_

Sophie Foster. That name had always sparked equal amounts of hope and fear into the heart of the Elven world. She was their final hope, final defense against the Neverseen, who threatened to bring down the foundation of their meticulously balanced society.

Sophie was always there, always ready to snap back against the Neverseen. She was their last defense in this desperate stand. At the heart of every matter, Sophie walked out of the dust with her heart still beating inside her chest.

And she knew that. And she was afraid.

 _And another one bites the dust_

 _But why can I not conquer love?_

 _And I might've got to be with one_

 _I want to fight this war until is ends_

 _And I want it and I wanted it bad_

 _But there were so many red flags_

 _Now another one bites the dust_

 _And let's be clear, I trust no one_

"I can't do it. Dex, I just can't do it." Her breath was coming in raggedy gasps, and her brown eyes were full of tears.

Dex patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. "I know…"

But he didn't. No elf ever had. No elf had ever known this feeling, of being so lost, and not knowing a truth from a lie. Sophie, even safe with her family of Alden, Della, Fitz, and Biana, still felt so alone. And so, utterly, helpless.

Because no elf had ever been their Moonlark, raised by humans, been torn away by destiny, and then finally- finally found a home. And with Grady and Edaline, Sophie had been content. Happy. Until the day. The horrible, awful day. The day Grady and Edaline had been killed, and Sophie had had to step over their bodies to get through the door.

 _You did not break me_

 _I'm still fighting for peace_

She knew, because of The Note. Sophie had found it last night, when she had walked into her room and heard the crunch of paper under her feet. She had picked up the paper, and unfurled it to read the words that would change her life.

"Come on," Dex said. "The note said outside Everglen at 3:00pm. It's 2:58 now. You can do this."

Sophie nodded, and looked around the room that she had been given when she had moved in with Alden and Della. Her gaze alighted on the sword, the sword that had ended Mr. Forkle's life. She saw that, and was reminded of his love and strength. She remembered, and stood up. Dex got to his feet beside her, and took her hand.

 _And I will stay up through the night_

 _Now let's be clear, won't close my eyes_

 _And I know that I can survive_

 _I walked through fire to save my life_

 _And I want it, I want my life so bad_

 _And I'm doing everything I can_

 _And another one bites the dust_

 _It's hard to lose a chosen one_

"Let's go." Dex said, and started walking from the room. "Wait-" Sophie replied, and she walked over and took the sword off its decorated platform on the wall.

"Why are you bringing that?" Dex asked. "You probably shouldn't have kept it in the first place."

"Yeah…" Sophie said, but she didn't agree. The sword stood for everything that she had lost, what she still had, and the battle she was fighting.

"I'm ready now." she said, walking out of the door.

"What? Why would you bring that?" Dex asked.

Sophie shrugged. "It makes me feel stronger." She reached for Dex's hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back.

The heavy sword dragging her down, Sophie and Dex walked down the sweeping marble staircase, and out the grand double doors.

The Everglen gardens were gorgeous, as if an artist had painted a garden, and then shaped it with the hands of a god until all of the colours were brightened tenfold and the exotic plants and flowers bloomed year-round.

But in Sophie's vision, everything had a dark, grey sheen over it. After all of the horrors she had seen, nothing could ever look beautiful again- could it?

And then, in no time but also millennia, they had reached the gates, the gates were opened, they stepped through- and there was a man there, just as the note had promised.

 _Well I've got a thick skin and an elastic heart_

 _But your blade it might be too sharp_

 _I'm like a rubberband until you pull too hard_

 _But I may snap when I move close_

 _But you won't see me move no more_

 _Cause I've got an elastic heart_

Sophie staggered on her suddenly numb legs.

"Hello, Sophie."

It was Fintan.

He.

Took.  
A.

Step.

Closer.

To.

Her.

She couldn't do this. Wouldn't do this. It couldn't be. Even though his blond hair matched hers exactly, even though their jawlines, now that she considered it, were the same, no. She couldn't believe this. Now he was so close, she could have reached out and touched him.

"My daughter..." he said, his lips curving into a greedy smile.

No. No. No. She couldn't.

Sophie grabbed her sword. Without any planning, any idea what this would mean, she plunged it into his heart.

The last words that Fintan Pyren would ever hear, whispered through her gritted teeth.

"You will never be my father."

 _Well I've got a thick skin and an elastic heart_

 _But your blade it might be too sharp_

 _I'm like a rubberband until you pull too hard_

 _But I may snap if I move close_

 _But you won't see me move no more_

 _Cause I've got an elastic heart_

 _And you will not break me_

 _I'm still fighting for peace_


	10. Free the Animal

**(Alder3049)**

 **Free the Animal**

 **Track nine**

 **Sia**

 **1000 Forms of Fear**

 _I love you so_

 _Wanna throw you from the roof_

 _The pressure builds_

 _Wanna put my hands through you_

 _I'll squeeze you tight until you take your last breath_

 _Loving you to death, loving you to death_

There were two of them.

Two horrible reminders of that night with Quan Song, two horrible reminders that would need to be cared for for years, that every time she looked them in the eye would make her cringe. The girl's eyes were open, and they were the same exact shade as her father's, silvery-blue and curious, ringed with darker blue circles. The boy's were the same.

It wasn't their fault that they looked so like their father, down to the shade of their skin and hair, or that they were twins, but it would mean that she could never truly look them in the eye.

The girl shifted. "Mama?"

Mai's resolve hardened. "No. Not mama. You can call me ma'am."

Tam and Linh. Excellence and Spirit.

 _The pressure's rising I won't make it through tonight_

 _This love immortal is an assassin's delight_

 _Just blow me up or run me down or cut my throat_

 _And when it's time for you to die..._

 _Detonate me_

 _Shoot me like a cannon ball_

 _Granulate me_

 _Kill me like an animal_

 _Decapitate me_

 _Hit me like a baseball_

 _Emancipate me_

 _Free the animal, free the animal_

"Mai, this wasn't my fault. Don't pretend like it was."

"Then whose fault was it? I didn't plan on dropping out of Foxfire with two children to take care of! At least you have a steady job!"

"It's not all about you, Mai. I've had to give things up, too."

"What? You don't seem to have changed in the past three years."

Quan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please don't use that tone with me, Mai."

"Why? I'm not done, you know."

"No, but we've had visitors for quite some time."

Mai spun to see little Linh, barely three years old, toddle away from the doorway, a look of horror on her face.

 _I love you so I'm putting you in quicksand_

 _You take your chances when you kiss the hitman_

 _The animal's inside of this infinite jest_

 _Loving you to death, loving you to death_

"These are our children, Tam and Linh."

"Oh, how lovely." The woman standing at the door smiled at the eight-year-olds. "Which one's older?"

Tam looked up. "We're-"

"Tam. He just turned nine. Excited for Foxfire in a couple of years!"

Tam glared at his father, who glared back with just as much venom. Then he looked up at the woman between them and their dinner reservations, calmly shuffling around for menus. "We're twins." Her head appeared over the booth, still smiling. "Oh! Do you play that sometimes? I used to play with my older siblings that we were triplets." Tam snorted. "That's stupid. We really are twins. Linh's older by six and a half minutes." Linh, eyes trained on the ground, nodded. The woman's face went slack, and their father grabbed Tam's arm. The look on his face could kill as he pulled him away. "We won't be eating here tonight. Maybe you won't be eating at all."

 _The pressure's rising I won't make it through tonight_

 _This love immortal is an assassin's delight_

 _Just blow me up or run me down or cut my throat_

 _And when it's time for you to die..._

 _Detonate me_

 _Shoot me like a cannon ball_

 _Granulate me_

 _Kill me like an animal_

 _Decapitate me_

 _Hit me like a baseball_

 _Emancipate me_

 _Free the animal, free the animal_

"Dad! Dad!"

Linh ran up the front path after school, Tam following her quietly. Their father was standing on the front stoop hands behind his back. She stopped, short of breath, at the top. "I'm a Hydrokinetic!" Her grin faltered as his scowl deepened. "Dad...isn't that good? It's the same talent as Mom."

"Uh, yeah."

Just another reminder of Mai.

 _Murder me, ruin me, look what you do to me_

 _Beautiful pain baby, pour acid rain on me_

 _Kill me with your loving_

 _Kill me with your loving_

 _I'll slice you and dice you, like sugar and spice_

 _I'll do all that you want me to on the beast in you_

 _I'll kill you with my with my loving_

 _I'll kill you with my loving_

The two of them walked hand-in-hand, a few paces in front of their parents, down the crowded streets of Atlantis. They looked the same as ever; Tam in all black, dark head bent, his skin a shade lighter than his twin's, and Linh in one of many colourful dresses, long hair pinned back with jewelled butterfly clasps. But anyone who knew them could see that their demeanour had changed coming here. Beads of sweat stood out on Linh's forehead, and Tam's head was inclined to his sister's, whispering words of encouragement. Tam's hand was caught in his sister's death grip in an attempt not to loose control. It hurt her sometimes to bring Linh down here, when even she had to hold back to stop the whole ceiling from coming down. But Tam, though he should have the same Talent as his twin, hadn't shown his colours yet, so she had something to latch on to from the above world that should calm the urges. Quan came down here often for work, and Linh followed him like a puppy, so she was often down here.

The street was crowded, people jostling each other as they went from storefront to storefront, and someone hit Tam in the shoulder, causing him to lose his grip on Linh, who immediately gasped as she lost contact with her twin.

"Tam! Tam!"

Her calls got more frantic as she looked for him in the crowd, loosing more and more control on her Talent.

Some didn't even have time to scream as the wall of water came from above.

 _Detonate me_

 _Shoot me like a cannon ball_

 _Granulate me_

 _Kill me like an animal_

 _Decapitate me_

 _Hit me like a baseball_

 _Emancipate me_

 _Free the animal, free the animal_

"It's completely uncalled for!"

"Don't take that voice with me, Tam Song."

Quan sounded so much like when he was fighting with Mai that it hurt.

"She can control it! It won't happen again!"

"Then why did it happen in the first place?"

They were standing on either side of Quan's desk.

"I don't...she hasn't gotten used to it! It wasn't her fault!"

"You say that...and yet the two of you sauce me and pay no heed to what I tell you, come home from Foxfire a Shade, with your hair made of metal..."

"Dad..."

"She's Banished. There's nothing you can do about it. Now, stay with us. We can be a much better family without her."

"Why? Just because she reminds you of Mom? If anything, it's me you hate. Say it. Say it, Dad."

"Tam, I'm not going to argue over this. Your sister will go to Exillium, and you Foxfire. This is the end of the matter, you understand?"

"No, I don't understand, and if you won't let her come back, I'm leaving, too."

"Tam-"

"No. I'm done. Goodbye."

 _Granulate me_

 _Shoot me like a cannon ball_

 _Evaporate me_

 _Kill me like an animal_

 _Decapitate me_

 _Hit me like a baseball_

 _Emancipate me_

 _Free the animal, free the animal_

 _Oh_

 _Oh_

 _Free the animal_

 _Oh_

 _Free the animal, free the animal_

 _Oh_

 _Oh_

 _Oh_

 _Free the animal_


End file.
